Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chaired the 12th meeting of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) Society in Agartala, Tripura today. Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Chief Minister of Tripura Dr. Manik Saha, Chief Minister of Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Manipur Shri N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Prem Singh Tamang, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri Sukanta Majumdar, Union Home Secretary Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, D/o Space Dr. S. Somnath and Director, Intelligence Bureau Shri Tapan Deka, senior officials of the Central Government and State Governments of North Eastern Region were present on the occasion.
In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India’s space sector has taken a giant leap forward in last 10 years. He said thatafter 25 years of establishment of NESAC Society, the positive aspects of the work being done by the Society are now visible.
He said that the NESAC Society should further expand the scope of its work in these states, and, for this, initiatives should also be taken by the state governments. Union Home Minister urged the NESAC Society to take 100 students each with science background from all the states of the Northeast on a visit to the HQ of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) so that they can develop interest in space and related technology.
He urged the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region to contribute 60 percent for this project. Shri Shah also urged the state governments of the Northeast to start new courses related to space technology in engineering colleges.
Shri Amit Shah said that so far 20 waterways have been built with the help of NESAC and the Society should explore the possibility of building more waterways. He said that there is a need for extensive mapping for mineral, oil, and coal reserves in the Northeastern states.
The Northeastern states will be financially benefitted from the royalty received for these minerals. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the demographic data of people along the India-Myanmar border, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, should be mapped so that it can help in fencing of the border and infiltration can be stopped.
He said that for this, there is a need to conduct a comprehensive survey in the border areas. Shri Amit Shah said that the NESAC Society should focus on forest area development using space science. He said that for this, necessary steps should be taken by comparing old maps with the latest maps and where there are possibilities, efforts should be made to plant trees in collaboration with the state governments.
Similarly, the Home Minister also asked the Society to map floods in the North-Eastern states. Union Home Minister lauded the efforts of NESAC Society for proper and positive use of space technology in administration and emphasized its extensive use in the development of a difficult geographical area like the North-East in the coming times. Shri Shah also said that the NESAC Society should also focus on developing its revenue model.